Today's Teamster News 05.14.13

Teamster News
USF Reddaway Teamsters in Las Vegas Approve First Contract  teamster.org   ...USF Reddaway workers, represented by Teamsters Local 631 in Las Vegas, have unanimously ratified their first contract which provides excellent benefits and a grievance procedure, among other improvements. There are 45 workers in the bargaining unit...
Teamster Taxi Association Representatives, Drivers Blast D.C. Council Committee Bill  teamster.org   ...The representatives and drivers said the Council bill, titled the Transportation Network Services Innovation Act of 2014, favors the private sedan service companies and continues to give them an unfair competitive advantage over D.C. taxi drivers...
First Teamsters Contract For Warehouse Workers At IKEA  teamster.org   ...Congratulations to 64 warehouse workers at the IKEA distribution center in Frederickson, WA who voted overwhelmingly last night to ratify their first union contract.  Welcome to Teamsters Local 117!..
National Express Faces Joint Attack From Unite And Teamsters  The Guardian   ...National Express will face combined union pressure from Jim Hoffa Jr. president of the American Teamsters, and Len McClusky from Unite at its annual meeting on Wednesday...
Trade
No final deal on Pacific trade pact expected next week -US official  Reuters   ...Pacific trading partners are not expecting to reach a final agreement on an ambitious free trade pact at a ministerial meeting in Singapore next week, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday...
Surging Steel Imports Put Up To Half a Million U.S. Jobs at Risk  Economic Policy Institute   ...The U.S. steel industry is facing its worst import crisis in more than a decade...
State Battles
Filling in the blanks on ALEC  Burlington Free Press   ...The American Association for Justice characterizes ALEC as “ghostwriting the law for corporate America,” because it develops legislation funded and designed by those corporations...
War On Workers
Sadness, Shock as Hundreds Perish in Turkish Coal Mine Tragedy  ABC News   ...Women wailed uncontrollably, men knelt sobbing and others just stared in disbelief outside a coal mine in western Turkey as rescue workers removed a steady stream of bodies Wednesday from an underground explosion and fire that killed at least 238 workers...
Sallie Mae, Navient To Pay $139 Million Settling Probes Into Cheating Troops On Student Loans  Huffington Post   ...The Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. accused Sallie Mae and its loan unit, now called Navient, of intentionally violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by overcharging active-duty troops beginning in 2005, a period in which service members were fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The FDIC said Sallie Mae and Navient processed borrowers’ monthly student loan payments in a way designed to maximize late fees...
Banks At Walmart Are 'Exploiting The Poor': Investor  Huffington Post   ...Christopher Grisanti, co-founder of Grisanti Capital Management, said many of the independently-operated banks located in the retailer’s stores take advantage of cash-strapped consumers with nowhere else to turn. They allow poor Americans to overdraw their checking accounts and then subsequently charge overdraft fees...
The National Restaurant Association Spends Big to Keep Wages Low  Center for Media and Democracy   ...A majority of the Senate voted to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour recently, yet the bill failed to clear the 60 vote hurdle necessary for passage -- thanks in no small part to the political power of the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry's trade association...
Miscellaneous
When Driverless Cars Break the Law  New York Times   ...There is little doubt that the technology behind driverless cars is nearly advanced enough for mainstream use. Google plans to make its biggest public display yet of its cars on Tuesday...
Germany Sets New Record, Generating 74 Percent Of Energy Needs From Renewable Energy  Think Progress   ...On Sunday, Germany's impressive streak of renewable energy milestones continued, with renewable energy generation surging to a record portion --nearly 75 percent-- of the country's overall energy demand by midday...

Pasco County, Fla., Teamsters ratify first contract

Pasco County Teamsters

Getting that first contract after an organizing victory is especially sweet, as employers often delay and obstruct negotiations. So 1,100 newly organized Pasco County Teamsters have reason to be especially pleased with a strong first contract that ushers in on-the-job representation.

Ken Wood, president of Teamsters Local 79 in Tampa, said they fought to win a strong first contract for hardworking public employees -- and they won.

The battle took almost four years, but our negotiators knew that they must bring the employees a contract that honored their job seniority, has just-cause provisions and included wage increases. And, that is just what they delivered.

The one-year contract was ratified by Pasco County employees late last week. It covers a variety of workers, including people who work on roads and bridges, in libraries and at water treatment plants.

Frank Pilgrim, a 10-year mechanic at a water treatment plant, praised the contract and the new strength it provides.

With the Teamster contract we now have someone to back us up on the job. It’s security that we did not have before.  

John Sholtes, business agent at Local 79, did an outstanding job helping to negotiate this contract. His work is much appreciated and I know that we can count on him to represent us going forward.

Pasco County employees are the newest county employees to be represented by Teamsters Local 79. The Local already represents public service employees in Hernando, Citrus and Collier counties.

McKesson shareholders reject CEO pay

Teamster Glenn Gray, McKesson warehouse worker

Shareholders said “no more” to a pharmaceutical distribution company lavishing extravagant wages on its CEO while paying its workers so little they can’t afford health care.

At the McKesson annual meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday, shareholders sent a resounding message that they’ve had enough with the company’s excessive pay packages for its CEO. A majority vote by the shareholders rejected the CEO’s compensation package and approved a shareholder proposal to strengthen the executive pay clawback policy. The proposed clawback policy would allow the company to recoup some of the boss’s pay if it is discovered the pay was based on inaccurate financial reporting or misconduct.

McKesson has had to pay out nearly a billion dollars to settle allegations of price fixing and Medicaid fraud. The scandal happened during John Hammergren’s tenure as chief executive. Still, the board richly rewarded him with roughly $50 million a year in total compensation.  His pension, valued at $159 million, is likely the highest for any executive in history according to compensation consultants interviewed by the Wall St. Journal.

Perhaps even more shameful than the CEO’s pay is the workers’ pay. Glenn Gray, a 10-year McKesson employee from Lakeland, Fla., stood up at the meeting to tell the CEO that the pay for McKesson workers in his distribution center is so low that many of his co-workers cannot even afford to pay for their healthcare. “Most cannot even afford to set aside one percent of their paycheck into their 401 (k),” he said.

Workers at the Lakeland facility voted for Teamster representation nearly two years ago and still don’t have a first contract.  The company has hired union busters and retaliated against workers who support the union. At a rally outside the San Francisco shareholder meeting, Teamster leaders pledged the solidarity of Teamster members throughout North America to support the fight of McKesson’s workers in Florida.
 
Teamsters Local 337 in Detroit has represented McKesson employees for nearly two decades. “McKesson employees work hard and they deserve to earn a decent wage and have affordable health care and a safe work environment,” said Teamsters Local 337 President Mike Martin.

Steve Vairma, Teamsters international vice president and director of the union’s Warehouse division, said, “McKesson Teamster members from 13 local unions across North America have put the company on notice that an injury to one Teamster is an injury to all. If McKesson wants to wage war on its Florida workers, it’s going to find itself fighting all of us.”

“This company profits off the hard work of some 1500 Teamsters employed at McKesson distribution centers as well as off the billions of dollars in prescription drug purchases made by Teamster families through our affiliated health funds and their pharmacy benefit managers,” said Ken Wood, international vice president of the Teamsters union. Wood’s local union represents the Lakeland employees.  Inside the meeting, he warned, “I will not stand silently by and allow a company like McKesson to use the hard earned assets of Teamster affiliated health funds to hire union busters and undermine workers’ rights.”

Teamsters rally outside McKesson shareholder meeting on Wednesday. 

Teamsters ratify first contract at Waste Management in Calif.

Teamsters at Local 683 celebrate their first contract.

Teamsters at Waste Management in El Cajon, Calif., this week overwhelmingly ratified their first contract, which provides solid pay increases and excellent benefits. The contract will cover 190 of our brothers and sisters who joined Teamster Local 683 in San Diego in March.

The Teamster drivers and mechanics will receive a $2.25 per hour wage increase over the life of the five-year contract. They also will join the Western Conference of Teamsters (WCT) Pension Plan, the largest collectively bargained pension plan in the United States. And they'll be members of a strong Teamster medical plan.

Here's another benefit of the contract: a solid grievance procedure that will protect workers from unfair disciplinary action. And still another: They'll work five days a week. Before winning their Teamster contract, they worked six days a week.

Todd Mendez, Local 683 secretary-treasurer, called it a strong first contract that addresses major issues. And he said,

We look forward to providing the workers with the excellent representation in the years to come.

Bob Morales, director of the Teamsters  Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries division, said Local 683 did a great job negotiating a strong first contract after winning the organizing campaign in March.

It shows that hard work pays off. 

Woot! Mich. Teamsters ratify great 1st contract before RTW4Less takes effect

Marcine Washington: "It feels good to finally have a structure."

Today is a sad day in Michigan tempered by joy for 1,500 Teamster men and women. No Rights At Work takes effect, but Teamster nurses and support staff at Genesys Convalescent Center in Flint ratified first contracts. Genesys Health System employees also ratified a strong contract just before the No Rights At Work deadline.

Best of all, the Local 332 members ratified an 8-year union security agreement that strengthens the bargaining units. All Genesys Teamsters must pay dues as a condition of employment. The agreement, which covers 1,535 employees, was ratified just before Michigan's anti-union law would have made the security agreement illegal.

Alison Smith: "Thank God for our union."

The first contracts (there are two bargaining units) were ratified just six months after Genesys Convalescent Center employees voted overwhelmingly to become Teamsters in October. Marcine Washington, a ward clerk, says she's happy with the outcome:

It took 10 years. Ten years. I'm just glad that people stayed strong and organized. It feels good to finally have structure.

"Thank God for our union," said Alison Smith, an LPN. "We now have a voice."

Latrice Henderson, a dietary aide, said she felt the Center needed more organization. And,

I'm extremely happy to be part of Teamsters.

Nina Bugbee, president of Local 332, said the union had been burning the candle at both ends for the last week to get the contracts ratified. Bugbee thanked General President James P. Hoffa, Joint Council 43 President Greg Nowak, labor attorney heroes Sam McKnight, Lisa Smith and David Radtke, along with Local 332 officers, agents, office staff, stewards and members.

We all make one hell of a Teamster team! 

Latrice Henderson: "I'm extremely
happy to be part of Teamsters."

Bugbee said the plan now with Local 332's mobilized members to put boots on the ground to knock Gov. Rick Snyder out of office -- and "turn this thing back around to head in the right direction for workers.

Local 322 Business Agent Chris Cates shared details of the Genesys Convalescent first contract with Michigan Live:

The major component of the contract was to fix an issue in staffing, Cates said. When negotiations began there were 28 vacancies for nurse aids, she said. Throughout the negotiation process all the vacancies were filled and a process was agreed upon to fill vacancies in a timely manner. 

A charge nurse was also added to each shift to help out with any extra responsibilities that are needed, Cates said. 

"That is an extra pair of hands they get every shift, weekend, and holidays to help them," she said. "They very much want someone to listen to them." 

Employees were also wanted something done with how employees were disciplined, Cates said. Employees were being disciplined differently for the same offense, so the contract includes a process to follow for certain actions.

Woo-hoo! First contract for Atlantic Aviation Teamsters

At the table.

Please congratulate our new brothers and sisters at Atlantic Aviation. They just voted to accept their first contract as Teamsters.

Atlantic Aviation workers unanimously voted to accept their first contract as members of Teamsters Local 89.  Two meetings were held today (to accommodate varying work schedules) with fifteen of the 21 members group voting.

Workers at Atlantic voted to join Teamsters Local 89 in April 2012.  Over the course of six months, Negotiation Chair Kevin Evans and committee members Jeff Troutman and Johnnie Hikes met with the company to deliver a quality agreement to be taken to a vote by the membership.  This agreement contains solid language providing for job protection, seniority rights, and a grievance procedure.  In addition, the contract contains wage increases and other economic improvements not provided prior to union recognition.  

Congratulations to all our new Teamster brothers and sisters in the adoption of their first contract!  We also want thank Jeff and Johnnie for all their work throughout the campaign and negotiations.  These two Teamster brothers will continue their commitment to their fellow members by providing leadership and daily contract enforcement as the group’s first stewards. 

And here's more good news from Local 89:

Zenith Teamsters overwhelmingly accepted the proposed 2013 agreement in a 222 to 17 vote. The contract provides for six years of job security, $3.01 in raises over the life of the agreement, and “buybacks” for attendance and standards. Workers will also continue to enjoy free healthcare and pension throughout the agreement.

Good work, brothers and sisters!

Today's Teamster News 12.18.12

Obama makes a substantial counteroffer on fiscal deadline  Los Angeles Times   ...Obama is now offering twice as much in cuts as he initially put on the table. His proposal includes shaving $400 billion from healthcare programs and  ... would trim the annual cost-of-living adjustment for those receiving government assistance, probably including Social Security...
The media discover the 'chained CPI' - And the more they dig, the rougher it looks  Columbia Journalism Revew   ...Social Security Works estimates that a person age 75 in the future will get a yearly benefit that’s $653 lower after ten years of chained CPI than that person would get under the current formula. An 85-year-old will have $1,139 less to live on...
Millions live on $2 a day in America. The problem isn't just the safety net, it's the whole economy.  DailyKos   ...nearly 1 in 5 low-income American households has been living in extreme povery; since 1996, the number of households in that category had increased by about 130 percent...
The racist roots of 'right to work' laws  Facing South   ...As Dartmouth sociologist Marc Dixon notes in his fascinating history of the period [pdf], "The Christian American Association was the first in the nation to champion the 'Right-to-Work' as a full-blown political slogan..."
Right-to-work's race to poverty (opinion)  Philadelphia Inquirer   ...it is also a blow against fairness and common sense...
Senate Filibuster Reform Closing In On Majority  Huffington Post   ...Advocates of what's come to be called the "talking filibuster" are closing in on the majority needed to reform the rules, according to a whip count compiled by The Huffington Post, based on interviews with Democratic senators and with reform advocates who have spoken with senators...
Walmart vs. Union-Backed OUR Walmart  Bloomberg Businessweek   ...These days, “we have human resources teams all over the country who are available to talk to associates, and we will get questions about joining a union,” says David Tovar, a spokesman for the company. “We would say: ‘Let us remind you of all that Walmart offers, and of what might go away. Quarterly bonuses might go away, vacation time might go away...’ ”
Teamsters forced out on strike at Blue Linx Trucking  Teamsters Local 769   ...Due to mistreatment by executives at Blue Linx Trucking, Teamsters Local 769 in Miami has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company...
Minister Raitt Commends Garda Security Screening Inc. and the Teamsters on Entering Into an Agreement at Regina International Airport  MarketWire   ...Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada's Labour Minister, congratulated Garda Security Screening Inc. and Teamsters Local Union No. 395 on entering into their first collective agreement...

Today's Teamster News 11.14.12

Anti-austerity strikes, protests across Europe  AFP   ...Workers went on strike across southern Europe on Wednesday to battle austerity cuts, some blocking streets or burning tyres at picket lines as they paralysed swathes of industry and transport...
OECD: The balance of economic power is expected to shift dramatically over the next half century  Balkans.com   ...The United States is expected to cede its place as the world's largest economy to China, as early as 2016. India's GDP is also expected to pass that of the United States over the long term. Combined, the two Asian giants will soon surpass the collective economy of the G7 nations...
New report finds manufacturing, China, and outsourcing dominated 2012 political TV advertising  manufacture this   ...The study found that nearly 1 million ad occurrences focused on jobs, trade and outsourcing...
One million veterans would benefit from raising the minimum wage to $9.80  Economic Policy Institute   ...The bill, introduced by Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin in the Senate and Calif. Rep. George Miller in the House, would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.80 per hour in three increases of 85 cents, and then index it to inflation...
Law enforcement union sues over collective bargaining law  Wisconsin State Journal   ...A Wisconsin law enforcement union sued the state Tuesday over the state's collective bargaining law, alleging that the portions of the law pertaining to teachers and municipal workers that were found unconstitutional by a Dane County judge are also unconstitutional for state workers...
Teamsters strike at Esber Beverage  Canton Repository   ...Eighteen drivers and warehouse workers who are members of Teamsters Local 92 walked out  Monday after talks broke down...
Atlas Air Worldwide Dispatchers Ratify Initial Labor Agreement  Business Wire   ...Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NAS: AAWW) , a leading global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services, today announced that dispatchers of its subsidiaries, Atlas Air, Inc. (Atlas) and Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (Polar), have ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 210...

Woo-hoo! Airline Teamsters in Alaska ratify first contract

Please congratulate our brothers and sisters at Local 959 who ratified their first contract after four years of hard work and negotiation. They are cargo pilots who fly Boeing 737s throughout Alaska for Northern Air Cargo.

The pilots ratified the contract by an overwhelming margin.

Northern Air Cargo is owned by Saltchuk Resources, which owns other transportation companies including Aloha Airlines. The Teamsters Airline Division also represents employees of Aloha Airlines.

Teamsters Airline Division Director David Bourne said,

I want to extend my congratulations to the pilots of Northern Air Cargo on this momentous vote. I would also like to recognize and thank Rick Canoy and Derek Musto for their hard work and dedication to the pilots and Local 959 Principal Officer Rick Boyles and his team for the years of effort that concluded this agreement. 

This has truly been a team effort and should leave no doubt about the dedication of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Airline Division to reach out and represent members wherever they may be.

Today's Teamster News 03.01.12

Unbelievable Stress of Making "Only" $200,000 After Taxes  Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis   ...Imagine the stress of renting a three-bedroom summer home for only one month instead of four...
Growing Number Of Americans Can't Afford Food, Study Finds  Huffington Post   ...About 18.6 percent of people -- almost one out of every five -- told Gallup pollsters that they couldn't always afford to feed everyone in their family in 2011...
Bailout Ingrate Bank of America To Impose Monthly Fees on Many "Basic" Checking Account Customers  naked capitalism   ...Bank of America Corp. is working on sweeping changes that would require many users of basic checking accounts to pay a monthly fee unless they agree to bank online, buy more products or maintain certain balances…
Florida prison system to cut back visits probation officers make to offenders  Tampa Bay Times   ...Florida's prison system is cutting back on the visits that probation officers have with offenders — a move sure to raise public safety concerns...
Wisconsin leads Midwest in layoffs, new jobless claims  The Cap Times   ...
Among the major layoffs reported in January were Sub-Zero in Madison with 100 layoffs; M&I/BMO Bank in Milwaukee with 57, Mayville Products with 130 and Colligan's Bakery in Stevens Point with 51 layoffs...
Teamster Pilots at Cape Air Ratify First Labor Agreement  IBT   ...The new contract includes an improved pay scale, 401k match, short and long term disability, an ASAP program and a grievance resolution process...

Unions coming back in all the right anti-union places

Voting for that all-important first contract.

Unions are scoring important victories even as union-bashing reaches new lows. Corporate money talks louder than ever in the political arena. Republican presidential candidates have become noisy mouthpieces against working families. (The candidates need that campaign cash, after all, and now the way to get it these days is from billionaires' SuperPACs.)

As John Nichols in the Capital Times notes,

Like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Maine Gov. Paul LePage, they are anti-labor extremists whose opposition to free trade unions goes to extremes not seen since Southern segregationists sought to bar unions because of their fear that white workers and people of color were being organized into labor organizations that would threaten Jim Crow.

But despite these attacks -- or probably because of them -- unions are fighting back and winning. Truthout recently wrote about some recent union victories:

...GE and Cablevision workers unionizing after several failed organizing attempts, the end of the bloody Longview Port longshoremen dispute and the State Department issuing new rules governing student guest workers after last summer's strike by young Hershey foreign workers.

This extraordinarily rare string of victories leads me to believe that despite major attacks on workers’ organizing and collective bargaining rights, unions can take advantage of workers' backlash against these attacks and win big victories. They can still organize.

Organizing is only the first step, of course. The next one is to get that first contract. And the next is to ratify it. 

Members of Local 200 in Milwaukee recently did all three in an extraordinary contract ratification. Local 200, of course, knows a thing or two about union bashing, as they've had to endure a year of Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker's attacks on working families. A few weeks ago, 421 Nestle's members of Local 200 in Burlington voted for a new contract by a stunning 14-to-1 margin.

Here's what Local 200 had to tell us:

Ready to vote their first ever Teamster contract Nestle workers in Burlington Wisconsin sent a message.

“This is the highest percentage yes vote for a contract and the largest group to participate in over 30 years” said Teamster negotiating team member Darold Lukaszewski.

Local 200 Business representatives Jeff Bandur and Randy Monroe praised the Stewards group with them on the negotiating team.

“It was a pleasure to work with this Steward group through this process” said Jeff. “Their dedication, long hours, and knowledge of the plant, along with knowing the wishes of their co-workers was invaluable.”

Some of the highlights of the new agreement were gains in wages, pension and health care contributions, along with numerous language enhancements.

The contract will run through February 15, 2017.

Congratulations to all the Local 200 Teamsters at Nestle!

Woo-hoo! 1st Teamster contract ratified for 13K UC workers

Big news about a big Teamster victory: University of California employees ratified a first contract that will give all 13,000 of them raises for the next five years!

The UC employees voted to become members of Teamsters Local 2010 in Berkeley last year after working without a contract since 2008.

The employees include administrative assistants, clerks, library assistants, cashiers, public safety dispatchers and child care teachers. They work at all 10 campuses and one laboratory of California's university system.

Their wage increases will equal between 20 percent and 28 percent of their annual earnings. Given California’s budget crisis and America's weak economy, a contract with guaranteed wage increases is a very big deal. Said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa,

Our representatives worked tirelessly to win the wage increases, which are guaranteed in the agreement. These hardworking clerical employees deserve no less. 

 It's great news.

Today's Teamster News 04.16.11

Canvass shows conservative wins Wis. court race  Associated Press   ...Justice David Prosser defeated little-known challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes. State election officials said they will wait to declare an official winner until the deadline for Kloppenburg to seek a recount passes...
'We're Not Broke: The Truth About The Wisconsin Budget, Taxes and Governor Walker's Phony Fiscal Crisis'  OneWisconsinNow   ...Wisconsin's Consistent 20-Year GDP Growth Belies Claims, Tax Structure Rewarding Wealthy, Big Business at Expense of Middle Class to Blame...
State investigating vote irregularities in Waukesha County going back 5 years  Madison.com   ...In many cases, the number of votes totaled more than the number of ballots cast...
Survey: Snyder takes hit with budget plans  Detroit News   ...after Snyder pitched his plan to save the state's budget, those favorable numbers plummeted to 39 percent...
Teamsters reach tentative deal with Bombardier  Reuters Canada   ...It is the first collective agreement negotiated since the Teamsters union was certified two years ago...
Senate panel passes bill to eliminate estate tax  Columbus Dispatch   ...A bill to eliminate Ohio's estate tax in 2013 passed a Senate committee yesterday, a move local governments see as another potential blow to their already strained budgets...
Gov. Scott's attorney: Facts were wrong on high-speed rail  cfnews13.com  ..."It’s not possible at this point for Florida to get back the $2.4 billion or 24,000 jobs high-speed rail would have brought. It’s a shocking disappointment to learn all of that investment may have been lost because of a mistake or misrepresentation by the governor’s lawyer...”
Senators: End at-will provision  Concord Monitor   ...Senate budget writers yesterday recommended stripping the House budget of a provision to make public workers at-will employees once contracts expire among other measures senators said determine policy rather than spending...

Even the U.S. President can't freeze your pay when you have a good union contract



CAL fleet service workers


A lot of people don't understand why a good union contract is such a great thing to have.

Here's one terrific reason: If you have a pay raise in your contract, management can't freeze your pay unless they bargain with you first. 

Late last year, President Obama said he was freezing federal workers' pay. But even President Obama can't freeze federal union workers' salaries if their contracts include a pay raise. Reports the Washington Post,

...the freeze has already set in for federal employees, most of whom have had their pay put on ice for two years beginning Jan. 1. But not for some of Uncle Sam's workers, who are wrapped in the blanket of a union agreement. President Obama's pay freeze, which Congress approved last month, does not apply to raises negotiated through union contracts...

There are still a lot of government union workers affected by the pay freeze. That's because their contracts cover working conditions and not pay. But despite the president's freeze, a whole bunch of our brothers and sisters will get raises, including those at the National Treasury Employees Union, The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers and he American Federation of Government Employees.

Continental Airlines fleet service workers will soon learn the advantage of a contract when their first retroactive pay increases arrive next week. The CAL workers scored a huge triumph last year when they joined the Teamsters and negotiated their first contract (first contracts, by the way, aren't easy to get). The contract offers protections against unjust discipline, terminations, outsourcing and furloughs, as well as a 10.5 percent pay raise over 30 months. 

One minor drawback to contracts is that they are legal documents and can therefore be confusing.  The Teamsters offer some guidance about the Continental contract here or go to the bottom of the page here.

Today's Teamster News 1.7.11

Hoffa 'Deeply Disappointed' In Mexican Trucks Proposal  IBT   ...Hoffa today questioned why the Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed a new cross-border trucking program at a time of persistent high U.S. unemployment, budget deficits and unrelenting drug violence in Mexico...
December Retail Sales Are Weaker Than Expected  New York Times   ...Sales at stores open at least a year rose 3.1 percent in December compared with the same month a year ago...
U.N. Data Notes Sharp Rise in World Food Prices  New York Times   ...Prices are expected to remain high this year, prompting concern that the world may be approaching another crisis...
Teamsters stand up for Timmins over Ring of Fire discovery  The Timmins Times   ...Union wants railway workers to benefit from a new rail line to Timmins...
UPS has the highest level of cash in the air freight and logistics industry  Zacks.com
Lawmakers feel heat of Keystone XL opponents  Lincoln Journal Star   ...Opposition along the proposed route farther west through the Nebraska Sandhills and over the Ogallala Aquifer has been more vocal and more organized...
Could ESPN Deal Prevent an NFL Lockout?  Forbes   ...ESPN and the NFL are on the verge of a massive contract extension for Monday Night Football...
Town ratifies Teamsters contract  seacoastonline.com  ...Hampton selectmen ratified a one-year deal with the Teamsters, which ... have been working without a contract for the last six years...
Teamsters Local Union Votes on First Collective Bargaining Agreement  WJHG-TV  ...The police officers ...voting Thursday on their first collective bargaining agreement with the Panama City...
Toledo violated law by forcing sanitation pact, state declares  (Local 20) Toledo Blade  ...The State Employment Relations Board Thursday found probable cause that the city of Toledo violated Ohio's collective bargaining laws by ... by imposing a new contract upon unionized city refuse and sewer plant workers...
 

Woo-hoo! Continental ramp workers ratify first contract!

It's official! Continental Airlines 7,600 fleet service workers can look forward to job security and four pay hikes over the next 2-1/2 years, now that they've ratified their first-ever contract.

The "We Have Our First Contract!" flier announcing the great news says,

...the contract offers protections against unjust discipline, terminations, outsourcing and furloughs, and provides for 10.5 percent pay increases over the life of the 30-month contract. The contract protects our pension, caps health-care costs and provides for our bonus...

This is a big victory in the war to raise workers' living standards. It's very hard to get to that first contract. Many newly-organized workers never manage to bargain successfully with their employers. A Cornell University professor who studied the problem found 52 percent of workers who form a union are still without a contract a year after they win an election. Two years after the election, 37 percent don't have a contract.

The  Teamsters negotiating committee did a great job with Continental management. Miguel Vasquez, a fleet service worker in Newark, was on the committee. He said the contract adds protections for workers -- "including an important grievance procedure."

James Wells, a fleet service worker in Boston, said he's looking forward to having some solid protections in writing. “Without a contract we don’t have any real power, but now we’ll be able to flex some muscle when we stand up for our rights.”




Meet some of the other Continental fleet service workers here.

New IL Teamsters sign first contract

We're just catching up on this news from Chicagoland: Last month, nearly 200 Teamster school bus workers ratified their first contract with First Student -- just six months after joining Local 777 in Brookfield.

Workers at the bargaining unit, located in S. Holland, got strong wage increases, paid holidays and better health and welfare benefits for three years.

School bus workers all over the country are raising their standard of living by joining the Teamsters. They're also winning dignity and respect. I've heard school bus workers describe how they've had to work when they're sick, how they've been punished for getting off their bus to throw up, how they've had to ask for toilet paper because the restrooms aren't stocked -- and gotten three sheets.

Over the past few years, the Teamsters have organized nearly 30,000 school bus workers. Local 777 alone has organized and negotiated contracts for 1,400 school bus workers.

For those of you who aren't familiar with first contracts, they're very hard to come by. According to Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Fifty-two percent of workers who form a union are still without a contract a year after they win an election, I found, and 37 percent remain without a contract two years after the election

Teamsters take pride in the strong contracts we negotiate. That's why John Coli, president of Teamsters Joint Council 25, said what he did when the S. Holland First Student workers ratified their contract:

more hardworking men and women are realizing the long-term strength and protection of a Teamster contract.